However, regular-season accomplishments mean little in the overall scheme of things and if the Blackhawks don't win the Stanley Cup—or at least get to the finals—the season will be looked at as a disappointment.
General manager Stan Bowman's job is to help the Blackhawks get better so they will be even tougher to beat in the postseason.
The team is strong and sharp, so the Blackhawks don't have to make a lot of moves. However, there are a couple of moves that Bowman may be considering to fine tune his team and put it in a position to win its second Stanley Cup in four years.
According to the Calgary Sun, Iginla says he would approve of a trade to the Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Since the Penguins acquired Brenden Morrow from the Dallas Stars March 24, they might not be as inclined to make a strong offer to the Flames for Iginla.
The Flames may be able to extract a solid return for Iginla, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Normally, teams don't like to pay heavily for a rental player, but if the team that ends up with Iginla believes that the move will result in significantly improved Stanley Cup chances, they will be willing to pay for it.
Jay Zawaski of ChicagoNow.com surmised that it could take a first-round pick and two or three top prospects to rent Iginla. He does not believe that Brandon Saad would be in that group, but prospects could include Jimmy Hayes, Mark McNeill and/or Brandon Pirri.
While acquiring Iginla could cost quite a bit, getting a player who can put the puck in the net and carries himself in such a strong and consistent manner could give the Blackhawks the edge they need in the postseason.
As the Washington Capitals continue to make progress in the Eastern Conference, it seems more likely they will hold on to their assets and try to make a playoff push of their own.
However, if general manager George McPhee decides that the Caps are not going to make it or don't have a legitimate chance to make a run, he may want to move Mike Ribeiro, whom he acquired last summer from the Dallas Stars.
Ribeiro will be a free agent at the end of the season and he might be a good fit between Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane. SecondCityHockey.com surmises that the Capitals would not have a high asking price for this rental player and since he is having a good season with 10 goals and 24 assists, he is a player that Bowman would have to consider strongly.
Ribeiro told the Washington Times that he wants a long-term deal if he is going to re-sign with the Caps. He spelled that out as a five-year deal. If McPhee is unwilling to make that commitment, he may be more inclined to trade him prior to the April 3 deadline.
While the Blackhawks want to put themselves in the strongest position to win the Cup, Bowman likes the makeup of his team.
He wants to add to his team to make it stronger, but he told the Chicago Sun-Times that he doesn't want to upset the chemistry of a team with championship potential.
"To get a top guy, you have to wonder what the price would be," Bowman told the Sun-Times. "We're not looking to change the mix we have. We're looking to add to it. We don't want to change the chemistry we've developed.
While it seems likely that Bowman will err on the side of conservatism, he may be considering another bold move. The Blackhawks failed to advance in last year's playoffs because their goaltending let them down.
Goaltenders Corey Crawford and Ray Emery have been among the strongest part of the Blackhawks' game this year (2.10 goals-against average, tied for second with Boston), but playing stellar regular-season hockey is not the same as doing it in the playoffs.
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